In response to a growing concern that violence portrayed on television may have a deleterious effect on the behavior of viewers, a committee was constituted to develop an index which could be used to monitor the amount of television violence. In constructing such an indicator, careful consideration was given to its uses, since the use would determine the format of the indicator. Because the committee adheres to a broad definition of violence, it was thought that several indexes would probably be necessary, but that each would need to measure the frequency, the seriousness, and the duration of the violence. Types of violence, types of social actors, and types of programs would also need to be recorded. (EMH)